It's been working its way through California courts since the 2015 WHO guidelines said processed meats are carcinogenic. Under Prop 65 that should have triggered immediately labeling processed meats as "Known to the State of California to cause cancer" (like we already have on any charred food, parking garages, etc) but because reasons a decade later I think it is still being adjudicated.

They just want to keep the bacon for themselves.

In the UK (not sure about anywhere else) you can buy bacon without Nitrates. ‘Naked Bacon’ is in sainsburys, tesco, etc. Been buying it for years.

I'll copy some of the answers from the WHO Q&A linked in the post:

Processed meat was classified in the same category as tobacco and asbestos, does that mean they're equally carcinogenic?

No, processed meat has been classified in the same category as causes of cancer such as tobacco smoking and asbestos (IARC Group 1, carcinogenic to humans), but this does NOT mean that they are all equally dangerous. The IARC classifications describe the strength of the scientific evidence about an agent being a cause of cancer, rather than assessing the level of risk.

How many cancer cases per year?

According to the most recent estimates by the Global Burden of Disease Project, an independent academic research organization, about 34 000 cancer deaths per year worldwide are attributable to diets high in processed meat.

Eating red meat has not yet been established as a cause of cancer. However, if the reported associations were proven to be causal, the Global Burden of Disease Project has estimated that diets high in red meat could be responsible for 50 000 cancer deaths per year worldwide.

These numbers contrast with about 1 million cancer deaths per year globally due to tobacco smoking, 600 000 per year due to alcohol consumption, and more than 200 000 per year due to air pollution.

How much is the risk of cancer increased?

The consumption of processed meat was associated with small increases in the risk of cancer in the studies reviewed. In those studies, the risk generally increased with the amount of meat consumed. An analysis of data from 10 studies estimated that every 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by about 18%.

The cancer risk related to the consumption of red meat is more difficult to estimate because the evidence that red meat causes cancer is not as strong. However, if the association of red meat and colorectal cancer were proven to be causal, data from the same studies suggest that the risk of colorectal cancer could increase by 17% for every 100 gram portion of red meat eaten daily.

Oh boy, can’t wait to see right wing screeches about Muslim takeover of UK.

IMO every food should have cancer rating in the nutrition facts, cause it’s not black and white.

WARNING: Bacon contains chemicals known to the UK Government to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.

So it’s fine if I just don’t eat the bacon in the UK? Then I am safe!

I mean processed meat sure.

But you can pull bacon from my cold, dead, cancerous hands.

Is the UK going to start putting cancer labels on Gin, Scotch Whisky, ale and cider? Because alcohol is not just a proven carcinogen but also toxic to a number of organs and a huge public health problem. It is a much, much larger health problem than bacon. The anti-meat lobby is extremely passionate about their cause. They have some strong arguments about the ethics of factory farming and the environmental impacts but it does make any proposal like this suspect because you just know that some of the proponents are more concerned about the ethics of meat eating than the health impacts.

Sausages are OK right? Right?

I mean ... They cause cancer. We literally know they do. It should at least be fucking STATED. Like come the fuck on

put the cancer warnings, like smoking people will still consume it.

Look mate.

In this cold, bleak and heartless blasted hell of an existence this is one of the few genuine pleasures I have guilt free.

might as well just slap cancer warnings on everything these days. Launch a massive banner to orbit so everywhere can see the cancer warning for the sun. Doctors need to hold a cancer warning sign when a baby is being birthed so it'll be the first thing they see because you can literally just get cancer for simply living.

Wait what.. goddamn it.

This got me wondering: If bananas are radioactive, and radiation can mutate cells and cause cancer... Can bananas cause cancer? 🤔